Europe’s Democracies in Danger – What works against illiberal and authoritarian threats?

StockSnap/pixabay

Tuesday, 12 November 2019

Europe’s Democracies in Danger – What works against illiberal and authoritarian threats?

Discussion with Gesine Schwan and Daniel Ziblatt

The spread of illiberal and autocratic tendencies challenges Europe's democracies. While in some European countries democratic institutions are already eroding, illiberal political parties are on the rise in others. How can we protect Europe's democracies from such dangers? This question is at the core of the closing event of the Berlin Democracy Conference 2019 addressing recommendations for action for political parties, civic education and the media landscape.

KeynoteDaniel Ziblatt, Eaton Professor of the Science of Government at Harvard University, Karl W. Deutsch Visiting Professor at the WZB and author of the bestselling book "How Democracies Die", gives a brief insight into his research.

The keynote will be followed by a discussion with Daniel Ziblatt and Gesine Schwan (Humboldt-Viadrina Governance Platform), moderated by Anna Lührmann (V-Dem Institute). The participants from the Berlin Democracy Conference will actively engage in the discussion.

The Berlin Democracy Conference 2019 from 11 to 12 November brings together democracy experts who normally do not attend the same conferences: leading social scientists from universities, research centers and polling organizations; next to stakeholders from key German and European civil society organizations and state institutions. You can find the conference program here.

The event will be held in English and is organized by the WZB in cooperation with V-Dem Institute (V-Dem) and the Open Society Foundation (OSF).